NABU says no need for Nasirov’s reexamination

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) says the suspended tax service chief failed to substantively reply to more than a half of the questions asked by the agency investigators during his interrogation on March 17.

As reported by Censor.NET citing the press service of NABU, the law enforcement agency does not intend to reinterview suspended State Fiscal Service Chief Roman Nasirov.

"Such interrogation will only make sense if the suspect decides to come and report new facts or circumstances regarding restructuring rental fees for the extraction of minerals to the companies involved in Onyshchenko's gas scheme," the NABU said.

The agency also reported that the official failed to substantively reply to more than a half of the questions asked by the investigators during his interrogation on March 17. His answers were: "I have no idea," "It's hard to explain," "I need to check this information at the State Fiscal Service," etc.

"By refusing to cooperate constructively with the investigation and providing no clear reasoning for his actions and decisions, the suspended State Fiscal Service chief by no means dispels the investigators' suspicions. However, he deliberately misleads the public by saying in his statements that the NABU detectives do not ask him 'substantive questions'," the agency said.

"Moreover, his statements contain a lot of other unreliable information. He particularly noted that the criminal proceedings against him had allegedly been investigated for two years. However, the extract from the Unified Register of pre-trial investigations obtained by him and his defense along with the petition to impose pre-trial restriction against him reads that the tax service chief is a suspect in numerous episodes of the crime he was charged with under part 2 of article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of office) the investigation into which was launched on Nov. 29, 2016," the NABU said.

The agency stressed it had enough evidence that the decisions made by the tax service chief were unlawful, and there was no no need for Nasirov's reexamination provided that he himself initiated it.

March 2, NABU and SAP agents arrived at Feofania hospital to serve an indictment for criminal offence against Ukraine's chief taxman Roman Nasirov. The doctors barred the investigators and prosecutor from entering the ward saying Nasirov had allegedly suffered a heart attack. SAP head Nazar Kholodnytskyi said the decision to launch procedural activities into the case was made due to possible Nasirov's departure abroad and elimination of evidence. A video footage of Nasirov being served an indictment in Feofania hospital has been posted online.

SAP accuses Nasirov of taking unreasonable decisions on restructuring rental fees for the extraction of minerals, which helped Ukraine's fugitive MP Oleksandr Onyshchenko implement corruption schemes he is being charged with. This had led to 2 billion hryvnia damage to the state ($74 million). Onyshchenko said the investigation would "prove nothing: there were no money in my relations with Nasirov."

Later, NABU said it was preparing a bail hearing inquiry regarding Nasirov. The detainee's lawyers say that Nasirov's health deteriorated and he underwent another surgery. SAP head Kholodnytskyi said he doubted Nasirov's diagnosis.

March 3, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine suspended Nasirov from office pending investigation. Myroslav Prodan was appointed acting head of the State Fiscal Service.

Tax and customs service chief Roman Nasirov was first taken to the courtroom on March 4.

However, after he was examined by a doctor, the judge ruled to postpone the meeting to choose a preventive measure against Nasirov until the next day. On March 5, after the judge refused to adjourn the session again, the defense demanded his recusal, and the hearing halted.

After the session started, the court denied the disqualification of the judge and rejected a forensic examination of Nasirov's state. During the meeting it became known that Nasirov has the citizenship of Great Britain and Hungary.

As a result, after 3 a.m. on March 7, Judge of the Solomianskyi district court of Kyiv Oleksandr Bobrovnyk, partially granted the motion of the prosecution, having remanded Nasirov in a 60-day custody, until April 30, 2017, with the possibility to be released on a 100 million hryvnia bail. It should be noted that the prosecution wanted the bail to be set at 2 billion hryvnia. Ex-deputy prosecutor general David Sakvarelidze said at the rally outside the courthouse that the Presidential Administration required the court to reduce Nasirov's bail to 10 million hryvnia. In turn, Poroshenko said he was not advised on the progress in the proceeding against Nasirov.

March 13, the court dismissed the appeal against court decision to impose pre-trial detention against Nasirov with the right to post 100 million hryvnia in bail. The prosecutor's petition to increase the bail amount up to 2 billion hryvnia was also dismissed.

March 16, Nasirov was released from custody after his spouse and father-in-law posted a 100 million hryvnia ($3.7 million) bail.

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